From the lake I headed to Guatemala City in a share shuttle; not exactly uncomfortable but 5 and half hours instead of what would have been ~3 hours in a private ride.

This little shuttle friend and I entertained each other along the way.

Traffic was so heavy in Guatemala City that I even made friends with bus passengers that moved slowly back and forth in my line of vision for the better part of an hour.

In Guatemala City I stayed 2 nights at lovely Villa Toscana in a small, perfect, single room, $38/night including tax, breakfast, and airport shuttles. The shared areas are beautiful and I enjoyed the traditional breakfast (could also have picked pancakes).

During the full day in between those nights I hired a driver, Elmer, to take me around Guatemala City. It was the 1st time I'd done more than sleep a quick night before heading to the airport in GC since the 1980's.

The ancient viaduct

Overview

High end area

Middle class

Favela (Elmer's word). He pulled over on an overpass and asked if I wanted a photo. As I got out of the car to take the photo he yelled out, "10 seconds - no más!" because it's not a safe area. Oh.

Here is one of my favorite photos of the trip which I call 'Nothing a Little New Paint Can't Fix".

The Central Plaza was more about construction than romance but I enjoyed a few minutes' stroll and a visit inside the Cathedral. I didn't tour the Palace, below, because there was nearly an hour wait before the next guided tour and I hadn't the patience.

I snapped this photo of Elmer snapping a photo of the Cathedral and an incoming jet.

I also visited 2 wonderful juxtaposed museums on the campus of Francisco Marroquín University, the Maya textile museum, Museo Ixchel

and the beautiful history museum, Museo Popol Vuh.

The next morning I headed to Aurora airport, GUA where I took this photo for son Carlos

and on to DFW in Dallas where the high use of steel was culturally shocking.

Over the gulf

Hello to Eastern Oregon

and beautiful Mt. Hood.

How lucky am I, to head out year after year on what would be a trip of a lifetime for most travelers, and come home to the natural beauty and best beloveds in Oregon? Very lucky.
HAPPY TRAILS!

Friday, April 12, 2013

This post is for a group of photos that represent different aspects of life - for me and for others - on Lake Atitlán, photos that didn't fit into other posts.

The Cooperativa Spanish School has been my home away from home in San Pedro since 2007 and the school is moving to new digs this weekend (mid April 2013, photo collection here); the 1st 8 photos and some of the flowers photos later in the post are from the original school.

My last trip up the lane leading to the school, with Andrea and Lencho.

Andrea and Lencho

Elena and Rocky

Delfino, garden artist

Anna from England - so happy to meet this photography professor who facilitated a photography project for Beca students.

Housemate Jon, all tuckered out after San Pedro volcano hike

View from the school

Another view: El Barrio owners' wedding at Mikaso

Garden by Mikaso

Favorite taco stand

Creative wiring

Steep street

Family scene

Toilet paper in a middle class home (really)

There were a lot of funerals while I was in San Pedro, streets full of them.

This old guy was a favorite of mine. He passed away a few weeks before my trip this year - 2nd and 3rd photos show memorial displays.

Dogs on my routes

Transport

Bella Vista Futbol

Street futbol

View of San Pedro from the road to San Juan

Neighborhood shop

Coffee

Friends

School kids clean up along the lake

Hard workers

On market days this man works insanely hard. I met him later - a Beca father.

The banana pancake sisters

The cinnamon bun/banana bread lady

People watching

Beautiful park, lovingly tended by a group from the Catholic church

Easter breakfast

Lights across the lake

Last view of San Pedro from the lancha

I spent a few hours in Panajachel before heading to Guatemala City, people watching and shopping for souvenirs and used textiles.

Kids' sports parade

Textile venders

Happy ending story: I dropped my little coin purse (sentimental value, a few dollars' worth of quetzales inside) and retraced my steps an hour later. This man saw me looking and ran out of his stall to ask if I was looking for the coin purse he had found on the walk outside. Yes!

About Me

I've been a teacher for more than 34 years, recently retired from directing Structured Learning Centers for kids with autism and multiple disabilities in The Dalles, Oregon. I did my undergraduate work at Lewis & Clark College and my SpEd Masters at Portland State University. Gaining conversational ease in Spanish is an important professional and personal goal for me and I find attending Spanish schools in Latin America and volunteering with local organizations both productive and addictive. I'm hoping to help others with their goals along the way and have developed the Live and Learn in Latin America program to provide credit for immersion, volunteer, and cultural learning projects.
ALSO...In the course of my immersion studies in Latin America, I fell in love with the people of San Pedro La Laguna, Sololá, Guatemala and am working in cooperation with the Cooperativa Spanish School to match scholarship sponsors with promising students who would otherwise be limited to 6 years of school: BecaProject.org